After All This Time: On Hiatus!
by ThePirate'sBride
Summary: AU. Three years ago, Serena found out her fiance Darien was having an affair. She kicked him out. Now, he's back, single. Could Serena be falling in love again with the same man who broke her heart? ON HIATUS, DON'T HATE ME!
1. Chapter 1 The Past Heartbreak

this is my new fanfic. this chapter is what happened three years ago when serena found out her fiance darien was cheating on her. after this chapter it will be three years later. if there are scenes of what happens in this chapter, they will be flashbacks. enjoy!

* * *

Remember Me?

Chapter 1 - The Past Heartbreak:

Twenty-five year old Darien Shields held Serena Sanders' hand as they made their way back to their big house in the center of Tokyo.

They walked in and Darien shut the front door behind them. Serena, his twenty-one year old fiancée, made her way to the kitchen, in search of a snack.

Darien's phone started ringing.

"Hello?" Darien answered.

"Hey baby." His secret girlfriend, Janine, said.

"Hi. What's up?" Darien said confidently.

"Wanna come over?" Janine asked him.

"Sure, Andrew, I'll be right over." Darien said loudly.

Serena's head popped around the kitchen doorframe.

Darien gave her the sign for "1 minute!" and turned away.

He heard Janine laugh on the other end.

"How many times have you used Andrew as my cover-up?" She giggled.

"Too many!" Darien exclaimed, making it look like Andrew had done something wrong, and screwed it up. Bad.

"Good cover." Janine said, still chuckling slightly.

"OK, I'll be over in a minute." Darien said, hanging up and setting down his phone on the hall table.

Serena walked out of the kitchen with a chocolate-chip cookie in one hand, and a glass of Diet Pepsi in the other.

"Going out again?" Serena smiled. "What did Andrew break now?"

"One of his stereos at home." Darien lied, grinning. "Trust him."

Serena leaned in and gave him a small kiss on his cheek. "See ya later hun."

"Bye." He turned and picked up his keys. He walked out of the door, turning back and blowing Serena a kiss.

He shut the door behind him, leaving his phone behind.

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Ten minutes later, Darien was stuck in unbelievable traffic.

"Come on! I can walk faster than this!" Darien cried, beeping his horn repeatedly.

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Back in their luxurious home, Serena was sitting in their living room with a bowl of ice-cream, watching TV.

Darien had been gone about fifteen minutes when she heard his message tone go off.

She put her ice-cream down on the coffee table and walked into the hall. She picked up his phone and looked at the name on the screen.

"Who's Janine?" Serena said aloud. Starting to get a bit suspicious, she plucked up the courage to read it.

Hell, if it wasn't important, she could just delete it and put the phone back where it was.

She pressed the 'Read' button, shaking slightly with nerves.

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Darien finally drove into Janine's driveway.

He walked into her house to find her sitting on her hallway sofa, holding a glass of champagne.

"Oh. What are we celebrating?" Darien smiled, reaching out and taking the glass she offered him.

"Our four-month anniversary." Janine smiled, and gave him a kiss. Pulling away from him, she said, "What took you so long?"

"Bloody traffic." Darien laughed.

"I sent you a text. Did you not get it?" Janine pouted like a little kid.

"No." Darien said, puzzled, searching his pockets for his phone. "Because I haven't got my phone on me."

"Well," Janine said warningly, "you wanna hope your girlfriend didn't read that message."

"What?" Darien said.

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Serena sat in the living room, not even bothering to wipe her tear-stained face anymore. She would just keep crying anyway.

The words of the text couldn't leave her mind.

_Hey babes. Where are u? I'm getting lonely here. Hurry up hun. xxx_

She shuddered at the thought. She looked down at the phone lying on the coffee table, beside her abandoned ice cream.

She heard the front door, but didn't look up.

Out of the corner of her eye, Serena knew it was Darien standing in the doorway looking at her.

"Shit."

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Darien's eyes darted from Serena, who was avoiding eye contact with him, to his phone lying on the table.

He hung his head. "Serena, I -" He started.

"Don't say anything." Serena said, her voice quivering. "I don't wanna hear it."

"But, Serena -"

Her head snapped towards him. He almost reeled back in shock by the hurt and frustration in her face.

"How long have you been together?" She demanded.

He sighed. _No point lying now._

"Four months." He told Serena truthfully.

Serena's teary eyes widened.

"You were with her before you even proposed to me?" Serena almost screamed, standing up. True enough, Darien and Serena had only been engaged for two months.

Darien took a step forward and put his hands on Serena's shoulders. "I assure you, I don't love her. I love _you_."

Serena avoided his eyes. "I can't even look at you anymore."

"Please, Serena -"

"NO!" Serena screamed at him.

Darien took his hands off Serena's shoulders. He looked intently at the floor.

After cooling off a bit, Serena said calmly, "I want you to leave."

Accepting defeat, Darien sighed. "K."

He made his way upstairs and started packing.

Serena shook and sat down again.

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Half an hour later, Darien, accompanied by two suitcases, came back downstairs.

He walked into the living room, leaving his suitcases in the hallway.

"I'm going now." Darien said sadly.

Serena said nothing. She did, however, look in his direction, a single tear falling from her watery eye.

She watched as Darien walked out of her life for what she thought would be forever.

What she _thought _would be forever.

* * *

so what d'you think? im thinking of scrapping my other fanfic, When She Ran To Him, because it's not going anywhere and the plot, basically, stinks. please still continue reading this fanfic, however because i actually want to finish this one. rate and review please!

QueenSerenity818 out.


	2. Chapter 2 Three Years Later

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Chapter 2 - Three Years Later:

Serena paced the streets of Tokyo with her best friends, Lita, Amy and Raye, as well as her sister, Mina.

"So where are we going next?" Lita asked, already struggling with quite a few shopping bags filled with expensive clothes she had bought.

"Can you actually carry anything else?" Serena giggled, carrying her fair share of bags aswell.

They all laughed as if they were either hammered, or stoned. Whichever, it didn't make a great deal of difference. People still stared at them.

They stopped in front of their favourite shop, _Gowns Galore_, and stared in awe of the dress in the window.

It was a light shade of baby pink, and it had a halter-neck style top, with a red rose in the middle. It came down to the knees, and it had a sash around the middle, a slightly darker shade of pink, which had three more red roses around the middle. They stood in wonder.

"It would sooo suit you, Serena," Mina pointed out.

Serena tilted her head slightly as she imagined what it would look like on her. She smiled at the picture of herself dancing with a very handsome man in her head.

They all nodded in agreement.

"I wonder if they have my size," Serena said, still half dazed.

Without thinking about the amount of bags she already had, Serena walked into the shop and found the rack with the dress on.

"Yes! The last one!" Serena said loudly, causing a few people to look in her direction.

She held it up against her, and, deciding that it looked good, walked over to the till and bought it.

She went back outside to find Raye shaking her head, though smiling.

"Honestly." She said.

They were all standing there giggling slightly.

"What?" Serena asked.

"You do know that there is a sale on here next week, with 50 percent off everything in store. Including the dress you just bought." Amy pointed out wisely.

Serena looked down at the receipt.

"Oh, dammit. I just paid fifty quid for that." Serena cursed. She sighed. "Oh well, it was the last in my size and it would've gone by the time the sale arrived."

They all continued giggling, much to Serena's slight annoyment.

"OK, guys, you can drop it now." She said angrily, still mad with herself for buying the dress straight away.

"Well, I don't care what you all say, but I'm coming back here next week for a red dress. Even though I don't need one." Raye said happily.

"Hey! We can all come here and get dresses in our favourite colours! Then we can go to a party, or go clubbing!" Lita suggested.

Serena nodded. "Yeah, I'll get another dress!"

"Um, why?" Mina said.

"Because the dress I just bought is more of a date dress than a party dress, don't you think?" Serena said.

"Sure." They all said, rolling their eyes slightly.

"Well, I know I'm right." Serena said arrogantly.

They all snickered at her.

Serena frowned and started walking over to the nearest cafe. She turned back around.

"I was going to buy you all drinks. But not now." Serena smiled.

They started laughing, knowing that she wouldn't have, and followed her inside.

But none of them saw the tall, handsome and dark-haired man who turned the corner just as they walked in. He walked straight past the cafe door without a second thought. He was on the phone.

"Hey, Andrew. I'm back in Tokyo. Wonder if I'll see Serena again." He sighed. "Let's just hope that if I do, we'll keep contact to a minimum. I can't bear to have her mad at me again. I just know that if I run into her, she'll end up getting hurt again and I don't want that for her. I still love her Andrew."

He heard Andrew groan on the other end.

"Darien, face it, she threw you out, she's not gonna take you back just like that." Andrew said, clicking his fingers at the same time.

He looked down and continued walking. "I know, but I want her to. If I see her again, I'm gonna try and make things work."

Darien smiled at this thought.

"You, my friend, are living in denial." Andrew said, and hung up.

Darien took his phone away from his ear and put it back into his pocket.

_It's been three years, _he thought, _she's bound to have cooled off by now..._

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just so you know, the dress serena just bought IS important to the story, kind of, so dont get confused. as ever, rate and review please and check out my other fanfics.

QueenSerenity818 out.


	3. Chapter 3 Remember Me?

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Chapter 3 - Remember Me?

Serena, her friends and her sister sat down around a table in the cafe where Andrew worked. He was a good friend of theirs.

He walked over to the table where they were sitting.

"Hey girls." He smiled warmly.

They all turned and looked at him.

"Hey." They all said, smiling back.

He took out a notepad and a pen.

"So what can I get you?" He asked, preparing to write a long order. After all, Serena was with them.

Serena, not wanting to eat too much, decided to have a low-fat strawberry milkshake.

They all turned and looked at her in shock when she ordered.

She looked around.

"What?" She said defensively.

"You? Low-fat?" Raye laughed.

"Shut up, Raye." Serena said light-heartedly.

"I'll have a Pepsi, Andrew," Mina said, blushing slightly. She had a crush on Andrew.

Andrew smiled and wrote it down.

Lita looked up at the guy she had once fancied and asked for a chocolate milk.

Andrew scribbled away again.

"I'll just have a glass of fruit juice." Raye said.

"Just a cup of coffee for me, thanks." Amy said.

Andrew nodded and walked away. Everyone turned to face Serena.

"Low-fat? Girl, what is wrong with you?" Mina said, rounding on her.

"Nothing," Serena denied, "I just want my dress to fit me when I wear it, that's all."

"And when exactly are you gonna wear it then?" Lita asked.

"On a date, probably." Serena said, starting to day-dream until Raye interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, come on, Serena." Raye said nastily. "You haven't had a date in close to four years."

"That's true. Not since you met that guy..." Amy trailed off.

"Oh, yeah, what was his name?" Mina said thoughtfully. Serena hung her head and stared at her shoes, which were white today.

Andrew arrived with a tray of drinks and Mina looked up at him.

"Thankyou." Mina said softly, as the rest of them, including Andrew, started laughing.

Mina blushed a very noticeable shade of red.

Andrew walked away, just as his phone started ringing.

He answered it as he walked into the staff room.

"Talk to me," Andrew said. It was how he always answered his phone nowadays. Anyway, it was only Darien.

"Hey, Andrew," Darien said.

"What now? I'm supposed to be working," Andrew said, slightly annoyed. "And, it was only a few minutes ago that you last called me."

"I know, but I've been thinking of Serena again," Darien said. He sounded sad.

"What about her?" Andrew sighed, sitting down. It was gonna be a long phone call.

"I was just wondering, have you seen her recently? I know you and her little gang of friends are all friends," Darien said hopefully.

Andrew looked down, not saying anything for a short while. He didn't know what Serena would say if Darien found out she was here.

"Sure, she's in my cafe right now. Why don't you come on over and say something to her?" Andrew suggested.

_God, Serena's gonna hate me, _Andrew thought, regretting what he'd said already.

He could tell this perked Darien up a bit.

"OK, it's worth a shot," Darien said, hanging up.

Andrew put his phone down and sighed.

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Darien put on his jacket and his sunglasses, and walked out of his apartment.

He locked the door and walked over to the lifts.

He pushed the 'Down' button, and waited for it.

It arrived, and he stepped in, pressing the ground floor button. The doors closed and he smiled.

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Andrew decided to go and tell Serena the bad news.

He left the staff room and walked over to their table again. He saw Mina turn a fresh shade of red.

"Listen, Serena, there's something I have to tell you," he said nervously. "It's important."

Serena stood up and walked over to the counter with him.

"What is it?" Serena asked calmly.

"Um, well, I'm friends with Darien, and, uh, well, he's coming over here now." Andrew said.

Serena looked at the floor and nodded.

"Does he know I'm here?" Serena asked quietly without making eye contact.

"That's why he's coming," Andrew told her. She went to grab her stuff and leave, but Andrew grabbed her arm.

"Please, give him a chance to explain. He still loves you," Andrew said quickly.

Serena stopped, slowly turned her head and looked at him.

"Really?" She asked. "What about Janine or whatever her blasted name was?"

"He broke up with her soon after you finished him. He was very mad at her for being the cause of your break-up. He then moved away somewhere else in Japan, but I don't know where," Andrew confessed.

"And I take it he's back," Serena said.

Andrew nodded, not saying anything.

He let go of her arm and watched her as she sat down with her friends and her sister again.

"At least she's staying," Andrew said to nobody in particular.

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Darien stopped at the end of the street where Andrew's cafe was.

He didn't know what he would say to Serena, but he knew he'd think of something when he saw her.

"OK then, here I go."

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Nobody turned around when the door of the cafe opened and the bell sounded.

Andrew looked up briefly, saw who it was, and glanced worriedly over at Serena.

She hadn't noticed Darien enter the cafe.

He watched as Darien started walking over towards where the blonde-haired woman was sitting with her friends.

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Serena stopped talking when she saw the shadow on the table. Knowing already who it was, she looked up.

Darien lowered the sunglasses from his face and laid them on the table. Serena's friends looked at them, and then their owner.

Nobody said anything but Amy gasped quietly.

Serena just looked at him.

Darien smiled. "Remember me?"

"I..." Serena stammered.

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sorry about the cliffhanger but i thought it was the best place to leave it. well anyway, keep checking up because i might update once in a while even though it wont be often. as ever, rate and review. thanks for the great reviews ive been getting so far as well. its really nice knowing people like my story. 


	4. Chapter 4 Apologies

wow! after all this time, here's chapter 4! i just quickly wanna thank everyone who asked for updates, no matter what chapter they reviewed!

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**Megan Consoer - **the last review before i decided i NEEDED to update, so thanks megan!

* * *

Chapter 4 - Apologies

"I..." Serena stammered.

Darien's smile faded. He must have looked like an idiot grinning like that.

"Listen, Serena -" he started catiously, but Lita angrily cut across him.

"How dare you waltz in here and smile at her like that?! If you think you can change the past, then you're even more delusional than I thought you were originally, and that's saying something!" she cried.

Darien looked taken aback. Serena had turned away, and was silent.

Darien looked around the table and saw three angry and loathing faces staring up at him. Serena was drinking her milkshake, and Amy was giving her sympathetic looks.

"I know what I did was terrible, and I'm -"

This time it was Raye who stopped him. "How can you say you're sorry?! What you did was _awful _to Serena! What did she ever do to you?!"

_She has a point, _Darien thought miserably.

"Nothing, but that's not the point!" Darien protested. "I just wanted to apologize and ask if there was any way that I could make it upto you, Serena," he added, turning to look at the back of Serena's head.

Serena turned and faced him, looking into his warm blue eyes.

"Why?" she asked quietly. She did not sound angry, just upset and confused.

"I don't know why I did it," Darien said honestly. "She was just..." he trailed off.

"Better than me?" Serena asked sadly, her eyes watering.

"No! I _loved _you Serena! I felt nothing for her! I swear we did nothing!" Darien admitted.

"Really?" Serena asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes."

Lita and Raye both scoffed. Mina muttered, "Yeah right."

Darien looked over at Andrew to appeal for some help. He didn't get any.

Serena seemed to consider. "Alright. I'll accept your apology."

She turned away again.

"That's it?" Darien asked.

Turning back, she said, "What do you want, a parade? I accepted your apology now goodbye."

She faced the others again, who were still glaring at him.

"Serena, I..." he started. She turned and watched him expectantly. "I still love you."

Serena's facial expression didn't change. "I'm sorry, Darien," she said harshly, "but that doesn't make a difference. Come on, girls."

They all stood up and filed out of the cafe, throwing Darien nasty looks as they went.

Darien sighed and looked down. There was a bag on the floor with something pink sticking out of it right beside the chair Serena was sitting in.

He picked it up and peered inside. The pink thing was a dress, presumably she had just bought it. Darien smiled weakly and walked over to Andrew.

"Hey, Andrew, if Serena comes back later on and asks where her bag went, tell her I've got it. Give her my address, and tell her you're too busy to get it if you must, just make sure she gets it from me personally. Call me when she says she's coming over." Darien told him.

Andrew nodded. "Sure thing."

Darien grinned wider.

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A few hours later, Amy had pointed out that Serena's new pink dress was missing and she had dashed to the cafe to retrieve it.

Seeing it was not there, she asked Andrew if he'd seen it.

"Oh, yeah. Darien took it. You need to go and get it back off him, because I'm too busy right now, and I doubt the girls would want to go to his place." Andrew said.

Serena sighed. "He wants me there, doesn't he? God, why did I leave that bag? Do I have to go?" Serena added hopefully, thinking that Andrew might go.

Andrew looked at her.

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About half an hour later, Serena arrived outside of Darien's apartment door. She was regretting it already.

Slowly, she raised her hand and knocked.

"Come in," came a casual voice from inside.

Pulling in a deep breath, Serena opened the door and went inside. She gasped in shock.

* * *

hehe. i'm evil, aren't i? wow, i love cliffhangers... 

QueenSerenity818 out.


	5. Chapter 5 Not Til You Put This On

well, this is the fifth chapter, but the first chapter uploaded after the title has been changed! Remember Me? was getting a little boring, and After All This Time seemed to fit better.

* * *

After All This Time

Chapter 5 - Not Til You Put This On

Serena slowly stepped over the threshold of Darien's apartment. Her mouth was still slightly open at the sight in front of her.

Darien was wearing a jet-black tuxedo that matched with his hair perfectly. He was standing in front of a candlelit table with a white bag in his hand. He smiled a weak smile.

"Darien, what's all this?" Serena asked quietly.

"My way of trying to get you to understand," Darien answered.

Serena said nothing. She just looked around the romantically lit apartment. It was an entire world different from the enormous house they had shared before; Darien's belongings were perfectly neat and not everywhere, and he had even combed his hair! Wow, he was serious about her.

"Serena? You left this in the cafe, so I thought I should take it to stop thieves. You obviously paid alot for it." Darien said softly.

"Darien, look..." she started suddenly. Darien looked at her. His face looked sad, lost and confused since three years ago. There was a hint of longing and begging for forgiveness in his blue eyes, which had lost their warming sparkle.

"What's all this?" Serena asked. Without waiting for an answer, she ploughed on, "Look, I'm sorry Darien, but just let me leave, please."

Darien's eyes now had a glint of mischevy in them. He indicated the bag, then said, "Not until you put this on."

Serena was surprised. She took a few steps forward and took the bag from him. She turned and started to walk to the door, but Darien was one step ahead of her. He dashed in front of her, locked the door, and then, with his back to her, hid the key from her. When he turned around, he was grinning slightly.

"You can change in the bathroom," he said nicely.

She playfully scowled at him, but, seeing no other option, went to the bathroom he was pointing to, and shut the door behind her.

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Darien was laying the table when Serena emerged from the bathroom, looking absolutely stunning in the baby pink dress she had bought that same day. He looked up when he heard the bathroom door open, and Serena walk back towards him, clearly shy.

"Serena, you look..." Darien said. "Amazing."

"Thankyou, you look nice yourself." Serena returned the compliment. "But, what exactly is this?"

"A friendly dinner as my way of apologizing properly," Darien said airily.

"Not a date?" Serena checked.

Darien looked up from the table. "Not if you don't want it to be."

Serena smiled.

"Now, if you please." Darien said politely, pulling out the chair for her.

Serena sat. "Thankyou, sir."

Darien chuckled.

He moved to kitchen, returning with two bowls of soup, which he set down on the table in front of both of them.

He opened a bottle of wine, and poured it into two glasses, giving one to Serena as he sat down too.

"To forgiveness," Darien toasted. Serena nodded, and drank aswell.

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The meal that followed was surprisingly pleasant. Serena forgot all about her 'plan' to be frosty and playing hard to get. He was just being so charming!

All of a sudden, Darien's look was tender and mildly serious. "Serena, I really am sorry, and I do still love you."

Serena looked deep into his eyes, inching closer as she did.

"You broke my heart..." she started, "...but hey, life goes on."

Darien smiled and got closer aswell.

Within moments, their lips had met for the first time in three years.

* * *

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! 

(cough) plot twist alert (cough)

lol. so, what's the plot twist? stay tuned and find out!

NOTE: where serena says "you broke my heart, but hey, life goes on.", this is a line from Hayden Panettiere's song Your New Girlfriend, a really great song. i recommend it.

QueenSerenity818 out.


	6. Chapter 6 Shouldn't Have Done That

well, this chapter definitely took it out of me! whoo! in my opinion, one of the best chapters ive written! so, i hope you all think so too! read and enjoy!

* * *

After All This Time

Chapter 6 - Shouldn't Have Done That

How long the kiss lasted for, Serena couldn't tell. It could have been a minute, an hour, a day, or several sunlit days before they finally broke apart. Darien didn't say anything, he just smiled pathetically. Serena, on the other hand, looked down and closed her eyes.

--Flashback--

_"How long have you been together?" Serena demanded._

_Darien sighed, "Four months."_

_Darien stepped towards her and put his hands on Serena's shoulders. "I don't love her, I love you."_

_Despite this plea, Serena avoided his eyes. "I can't even look at you anymore."_

_"Please, Serena -" Darien tried._

_"NO!" Serena screamed. Darien took his hands off her shoulders and looked at the floor._

_Then, after a long silence, Serena finally spoke._

_"I want you to leave."_

_Darien looked into her blue eyes and saw hurt bouncing off them. They used to be so full of love and trust, but now all that was gone._

_"OK." Darien said, walking away from her and leaving the room._

--End Flashback--

Serena sat still for a short while. She felt a tear running down her cheek and suddenly all the pain and suffering from three years ago came flooding back. She watched as the tear fell into her lap and left a mark on her pink satin dress.

She looked up and saw Darien staring at her intently. He looked worried. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I...I shouldn't have done that." Serena muttered. "I still don't know who you are."

Darien's worried expression became one of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You used to be someone who cared for me," Serena explained. "You used to treasure me and cherish our relationship."

"I still treasure you, and if we give it a chance, I will cherish our relationship," Darien pleaded. "What changed?"

After a pause, Serena answered, "You did."

Darien watched in silence as Serena raced into the bathroom, emerging with her clothes in the bag that had held her pink dress. There were tears streaming down her distraught face as she ran towards the door.

Darien stood up. "Serena! Wait!"

With her hand on the door handle, Serena turned around. "What?"

She waited as Darien walked towards her. He was inches away from her now.

He placed his hands on each of her cheeks, and he kissed her again. As they broke apart, Serena saw a hint of longing in his eyes, as though he was begging her to throw her arms around him and kiss him back.

Tears streamed down Serena's face, when she realised that Darien would never appear in the same light to her ever again. It was heart-wrenching to think that she knew she couldn't replace the loving man she'd lost.

"I can't even try to fix you, Darien," Serena told him, watching his face fill with sadness, "because you've changed too much. It's over; accept that."

Darien backed away as she turned around slowly and watched her walk out of his apartment, leaving him and his failed attempts in the quiet room.

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Serena cried silently all the way to the elevators. When the doors of the lift opened, she cast a look over her shoulder to see Darien leaning against his doorframe, as though inviting her back in. Deciding that if she went back to him now, she'd never be able to leave him again, and she would be due far more hurt than she deserved, Serena stepped into the elevator.

She was facing the doors when a hand appeared out of nowhere to force apart them; and in stepped Darien.

Serena looked up just in time to receive his oncoming kiss. It was full of passion and determination. Serena felt herself drop the bag in her hand, and stand as she was, with Darien kissing her with all his might.

_What am I doing? _she thought to herself, as they heard the doors slam shut on them. It was like something out of a movie, or a dramatic TV episode, and Serena knew what would happen next; and she knew she had to, or she never would be able to.

With great difficulty, Serena pulled away from Darien and looked into his eyes for the umpteenth time that long night. She couldn't bear to say the words she knew she must, so she simply shook her head slightly, picked up her discarded bag and dashed out of Darien's apartment building into the dark rainy night.

Darien ran after her. He loved her too much to let her go this time. He grabbed her arm and spun her round to face him. She was crying and sobbing more than he'd ever seen her.

"What?" Darien whispered.

"It took everything in me to walk away from you once," Serena told him, crying unbelievably, "and I can't do it again, Darien."

As she began to turn away again, he siezed her and made her stay where she was. Inching forward for yet another kiss, Darien said something that sent a chill down Serena's spine; it was barely above a whisper.

"Then don't."

And they kissed there and then, in the rain and the night, with Serena's arms wrapped around Darien's neck, and him with his arms around her waist. They were kissing like they'd never kissed before; and neither Serena nor Darien wanted the moment to end, they wanted the feeling to last forever.

Serena felt herself beginning to fall in love with Darien again, but there was something inside her that kept her from falling for him completely.

At least for now.

* * *

well, she's starting to fall for him again, but she's not all the way there yet.

boy, i need a plot twist! otherwise, this story's only gonna be about ten chapters long, and that would suck!

i really enjoy writing this story, so if you have any good plot twists, any help would be greatly appreciated! PM me or something, and you will be thanked!

QueenSerenity818 out.


	7. Chapter 7 Brilliant Love Advice

Well, Darien is faced with a blast from the past and Mina gives Serena some excellent love advice...that's what's coming up in today's chapter! On with the story!

* * *

After All This Time

Chapter 7 - Brilliant Love Advice

The city of Tokyo was always bustling with people. A woman with jet-black hair and a pretty innocent face walked down the pavement to where she knew that Darien Shields was currently living. She looked up at the tall apartment block when she arrived.

_Nice place, wonder why he came back here..._ the woman thought curiously. Shrugging off the thought, she went inside.

------------------------------------------------

Darien woke up with a smile on his face. The night's events were enough to keep him smiling for at least a few days. Serena hadn't come back to his apartment, but she was most definitely warming up to him again. For that, at least, he could be thankful.

He was enjoying his peacefully quiet lie-in, when he heard his doorbell ring. He growled in annoyance. If it was Serena, he would be virtually ecstatic, but if it wasn't, he'd be extremely annoyed. Climbing out of bed, and wrapping his bathrobe around his muscular body, he went to answer the door.

When he reached the door, he looked through the peep-hole to see who it was. He saw the ebony hair and falsely innocent face, and felt his breath catch in his throat. Here was a woman he thought he'd never have to face again.

She knocked again.

Darien couldn't believe it. What was she doing here? He hated the woman after all; didn't she understand that?

When she knocked for a third time, Darien knew he couldn't ignore her any longer. With a great sigh of regret, he opened the door.

"What?" he said coldly.

The woman turned around and gave Darien a pout, like a five-year-old denied her favourite sweets.

"Don't be like that, Darien," the woman said, with an air of sickly sweet in her voice.

She moved to go into his apartment, but Darien, with a furious expression on his face, pushed her back out.

"Don't even think about it," Darien warned, his eyes flashing dangerously.

------------------------------------------------

Serena had gone straight to her apartment after 'the kiss'. She knew that Darien wanted her back, hell, that was obvious, but she wasn't entirely sure whether she could trust him with her fragile feelings again just yet.

She lay awake in bed for a long time, just thinking about what had just happened, all the while with a smile on her face. When she finally drifted off to sleep, it was a dream-filled sleep, filled with visions of both three years ago and the past night, reflecting the confusion Serena felt when she was awake. She tossed and turned with every bad memory, but the most recent of all, that night, meant that she wouldn't wake up in a cold sweat, no matter how horrible the past memories were.

When she finally woke up, she woke with the feeling of happiness, something she had been unfamiliar with recently. After being haunted by the past heartbreak for the last three years, she finally had something stronger that could cancel it out.

She got up and wrapped her white silk dressing gown around her, and walked into the kitchen to find her sister, Mina Sanders, sitting at their apartment's kitchen table, slowly stirring a latte while reading an open copy of _Heat _magazine.

"Hey," Serena said, starting to make herself a coffee.

Mina turned to face her.

"What took you so long at Darien's last night?" Mina asked suspiciously.

"Well," Serena started slowly, "we had dinner."

"And?" Mina said in shock.

"And it was nice," Serena confessed, much to Mina's amazement. "We talked, we laughed, and uh..."

"And what?" Mina persisted.

"We kissed," Serena told her.

Mina's jaw dropped so far it could've hit the floor. "You kissed?!"

Serena avoided her eyes. "It's not like it matters, I mean we only kissed a few times -"

"A few?!?!" Mina cried.

"Well, three..." Serena trailed off.

Mina got up and spun Serena round to face her. She shook Serena's shoulders as she tried to talk some sense into her.

"Serena, he hurt you as much as he probably could, you can't just let him charm his way back into your good books," Mina snapped.

Serena looked at the floor.

"I bet Lita, Raye and Amy will understand more than you," Serena said angrily.

Mina let go of Serena's shoulders, shocked by her retort. Serena looked back up into her sister's face.

"I'm sorry, Serena, but I just don't want to see you getting hurt like that again," Mina said.

"And what do you think you interfering will achieve?" Serena asked.

"It might save you from more heartache," Mina answered softly.

"Well, why don't you give me some brilliant love advice?" Serena asked her.

"Forget him," Mina said simply, sitting back down. "It'll help you move on."

"And how will that help me move on?" Serena said, folding her arms.

"Sever the ties with your past, to move onto your future," Mina told her sympathetically.

Serena had to admit, sometimes her older sister spoke a bit of sense.

* * *

Well, who is this mystery woman that Darien is stuck with? And will Serena take Mina's advice about Darien, or tell her to talk to the hand? Find out in the next chapter! Review as ever.

QueenSerenity818 out.


	8. Chapter 8 Sister Sister

Well, the woman's identity is revealed, and Mina's attempts to make Serena see sense may not work now, but Mina won't stop here!

* * *

After All This Time

Chapter 8 - Sister Sister

Serena sat in silence, her sister Mina's words ringing in her ears. Mina was looking at her sympathetically. It was the kind of silence that followed after someone had been told that their mother had died.

"So," Serena said slowly, "you think that I should tell him to back off?"

"That's one way to put it," Mina said, nodding.

"How do you expect me to move on? A big part of my life just moved in around the corner!" Serena cried.

"Serena," Mina said quickly, "don't worry! We'll help you!"

"How?" Serena demanded.

Mina was stumped. "Well, I'm sure we can think of something..."

"Great," Serena said sarcastically, standing up and heading back to her bedroom to get changed. "Well, while you're thinking of more ways to interfere where you're not wanted, I'm going to Lita and Raye's place."

Mina followed her. "Wait, Serena, please let us help, we don't want to see you get hurt!"

"I can take care of myself, thanks," Serena snapped, not turning to look at her sister.

"He's hurt you once before, don't you remember?" Mina challenged, trying to make Serena see sense. "You were heartbroken when he did that to you!"

"Yes, I was, but I got over it eventually," Serena said, opening her wardrobe door.

"Eventually," Mina repeated, "but it still took a lot of time and you were still torn apart for ages!"

Serena slammed her wardrobe door shut, and turned to face Mina.

"Look, Mina, I appreciate you trying to protect me like the older sister you are, but I don't need protecting anymore. I'm twenty-four years old," Serena said wearily, "and I want to be treated like I'm twenty-four years old. Why are you so against that?"

"I'm not, Serena, I'm just trying to avoid a repeat performance of what happened last time, that's all," Mina said.

Serena spun round on her heel to face her sister.

"Why, so that you don't have to go through comforting me again? Was that too tiresome for you?" Serena asked testily.

Mina looked appalled. "Of course not! It's hard for us to see you so distraught, and we worry that you might do something drastic..."

Serena looked taken aback. "I wouldn't have killed myself!"

"Not what I meant," Mina said, smiling.

"I don't know why you're smiling," Serena said coldly.

"Serena, listen to me," Mina said, placing her hands on her younger sister's shoulders, "we're only trying to help you. To protect you from more heartache, which seems to follow him everywhere. It's hard watching you so upset."

"Mina, I thought you would be happy for me," Serena said miserably.

"I would be if it was a guy who we knew was trustworthy enough to not break your heart."

"My heart's been shattered before, Mina, so I know how to put it back together again."

Mina shook her head and walked out of the room, leaving Serena fuming in her room.

------------------------------------------------------

Darien sat down on his couch. The black-haired, falsely innocent looking woman followed and sat in his white leather armchair.

"I know you really don't wanna see me right now -" she started. Darien cut across her.

Darien snapped back at her, "I thought I made it perfectly clear that I didn't want to see you ever again, actually."

The woman looked shocked. "I thought we could at least be on speaking terms, though, Darien, I mean..."

"What? Give me one perfectly good reason why I should let you back in my life," Darien challenged.

The woman now had a smug face. There was one reason Darien could not deny.

"Because I'm your sister, Darien," the woman sneered.

Darien's face didn't change.

* * *

So, what we've learned so far...

Mina gives good love advice...NOT

Darien adores his family...NOT

It's a great day for sisters...NOT

Review please! I need a name for Darien's out-of-nowhere sister!

QueenSerenity818 out.


	9. Chapter 9 A New Face

Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas for Darien's sister's name, and a special thanks to Joyce.mamoru, for submitting Christine, the name I have chosen.

* * *

After All This Time

Chapter 9 - A New Face

Christine Shields was known to be quite the successful businesswoman in Tokyo. She came from a wealthy family, and had only one brother, whose couch she was currently sitting on. Although Christine and Darien were almost never apart when they were young, an incident three years ago had torn them apart, and now Darien wanted nothing to do with his younger sister.

"Christine, you may be my sister, but that doesn't mean anything anymore," Darien said bitterly.

"Oh, come on," Christine said exasperatedly, "who can even remember why we stopped talking?"

"Um, I think I know someone," Darien said, placing his finger on his chin in mock thoughtfulness. "Oh yeah, it was me."

"Come on, then, why?" Christine asked.

"You wrecked my marriage!" Darien cried.

"You didn't have a marriage, you weren't married!"

"No, I wasn't," Darien said, "thanks to you!"

"What happened then?" Christine said again.

"You were best friends with that bloody Janine, and she just couldn't stop hitting on me," Darien answered smartly.

"So? Whose fault was it that you didn't tell her to back off?"

"Admit it, Chris, you never liked Serena. You were happy for an excuse for us to break up," Darien said coldly. "So when an opportunity came along, you were happy to take it, weren't you?"

"I don't know how you can accuse me of this," Christine said, shocked, "all I wanted was for you to be happy!"

"Well, you had a funny way of showing it, now get out of my apartment," Darien demanded, pointing at the door, "and don't even think about coming back."

Christine stood up, recognising defeat. She turned to walk to the door, but looked over her shoulder, saying menacingly, "You might have told me to leave, and to stay away, but be warned. I'm still friends with 'bloody' Janine."

"Oh, I bet you are," Darien said. "You would be, wouldn't you? I mean, after all, she did your dirty work, so that you didn't have to."

Christine pretended to be deaf to this last comment, and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Darien sighed and lay back on the white leather couch, his hands over his face.

--------------------------------------------------

Serena, now fully dressed in a cream tank top, with the slogan 'Get out my face' written on it in purple, and a pair of white denim Capri's, walked straight past Mina, her sister, in the kitchen and out the door without uttering a word.

Mina sighed, shook her head and continued to read the latest article on what was going on in the celebrity world.

--------------------------------------------------

Half an hour later, Serena arrived outside her best friends, Lita and Raye's, apartment, which was not far from the apartment block Serena and Mina shared an apartment in.

Knocking three times to announce her presence, she then waited for one of her friends to open the door.

Shortly, a tall brunette, Lita, answered.

"Oh, hey, Serena," Lita smiled, "we weren't expecting you. We've got company."

"Oh, I'll go if you want," Serena offered.

Lita shook her head. "It's fine, I think you'll like each other, actually," she said, smiling mischeviously.

Serena shrugged, thought 'what the hell' and walked in, closing the door behind her, and following Lita through to her living room, where Raye was chatting animatedly to someone with a long dark ponytail. Said person was sitting with their back to Serena and Lita.

Lita sat down next to the mystery person, and so Serena sat next to Raye, who turned and smiled at her, then returned to talking to whoever it was. Trying not to look too obvious, Serena's eyes slowly made their way to the person's face. She was actually surprised to find that this was a man.

No, wait. This was an _attractive _man, sitting with his left ankle on his right leg, but the effect was not gay, but quite the opposite. It was sophisticated, and Serena felt blood rush to her cheeks as he turned and smiled at her.

"Hello," he said in a rich, dark voice that, had Serena been standing up, would have made her knees buckle.

"H-h-hi," Serena managed. She mentally kicked herself.

Lita smiled knowingly at Serena then introduced them properly.

"Seiya, this is Serena Sanders," Lita said, surpressing a giggle, indicating Serena, who waved like a goof, "and Serena, this is Seiya Jackson."

Seiya smiled at Serena again.

Oh, she was going to like this guy...

* * *

So, Serena seems to have developed a crush on Seiya Jackson. And, Darien's sister, Christine, has entered his life again, and threatened him that she is still good friends with Janine. 

What will this lead to? Review please, faithful readers!

QueenSerenity818 out.


	10. Chapter 10 The Matchmaker

Sorry for the long wait, everyone, but school's been a git, as per usual. Anyway, on with the chapter!

* * *

After All This Time

Chapter 10 - The Matchmaker

Serena left Lita and Raye's apartment feeling utterly dazed. She began walking home when she thought of something. She stopped walking and hastily fumbled around in her bag for her phone. She quickly ran through her contacts and found Raye's number. Serena knew how much Raye loved matchmaking. She was going to love this.

Serena waited anxiously for Raye to answer her phone.

"Hi," said Raye.

"Hey, Raye. Listen, where are you?" Serena asked hurriedly.

"I've just left my apartment. Why?" Raye answered.

"I just left your building. Meet me outside the doors in five minutes, OK?" Serena told her.

"OK, but -" Raye started uncertainly.

"Great!" Serena said, and then hung up, leaving Raye puzzled on the other end.

Just as she had promised, Raye arrived outside her building's doors within five minutes.

"What do you want?" Raye asked as Serena turned and smiled at her.

"How about we get a coffee at Andrew's place and I tell you?" Serena suggested, having calmed down a bit.

"Sure."

--------------------------------------------

Serena and Raye sat down in Andrew's cafe with two steaming mugs of cappuccino. Raye took a sip of hers and looked enquiringly at Serena.

"Right," she said, "what do you want?"

Serena paused. If Raye laughed, she was going to kill her.

"Well," she started slowly, "I know how much you like matchmaking, so I have a little job for you."

Raye smiled knowingly. "You want a date with Seiya, don't you?"

Serena nodded hastily. "I mean, yeah, I wouldn't mind..."

Raye laughed.

"Can you do that for me? Please?" Serena begged as Raye took an extra long drink.

"Well..." Raye said, taunting her friend, "I suppose."

Serena's eyes seemed to light up. "Thankyou sooo much, Raye, you're the best!"

Raye grinned arrogantly. "And don't I know it?"

They continued drinking their cappuccinos in the cafe, discussing ways to bring it up, and how to persuade Seiya to agree. Unfortunately for them, Andrew was listening to every word they said.

--------------------------------------------

Darien had just finished getting dressed into a pair of blue baggy jeans and a grey sweatshirt when he heard his phone go off. If it was Christine ringing him, he was going to wring her neck the next time he saw her.

He walked over to the coffee table where his mobile was, and picked it up, glancing at the name on the screen. He pressed the green 'Answer' button and put the phone to his ear.

"Andrew?" Darien said.

"Hey, Darien," Andrew said hurriedly. "Listen, I gotta tell you something."

"Is it important? I was gonna go and surprise Serena at her place with some flowers," Darien explained.

"It's about Serena, actually," Andrew said.

Darien braced himself for whatever Andrew was going to tell him.

"She wants a date with another guy."

Darien seemed to fall in slow motion into sitting on the chair behind him. Whatever he had expected Andrew to say, it certainly wasn't that.

"But..." Darien said despairingly. "I thought we were getting on again..."

Andrew sat down on the coffee table in front of his best friend.

"Ask her to come over, and you two can talk about it," Andrew suggested.

Darien nodded absent-mindedly and reached for his phone, which Andrew had nearly sat on.

As Darien searched through his contacts, Andrew saw himself out.

--------------------------------------------

Serena's mood could only get better as she sat opposite Raye in the cafe, while she watched Raye dial Seiya Jackson's number. Serena hadn't really had to exert herself trying to persuade her friend to grant her this favour. Raye had been entirely supportive and hadn't laughed or even giggled once.

Serena's eyes lit up more than a Christmas tree as Raye put the phone to her ear. Her phone was so loud that Serena could hear the dialling tone. On the plus side, that meant that she could hear his luxurious voice again. Indeed, when he picked up, there it was!

_"Hello? Who is this?" _could be heard from Raye's purple Samsung U600.

"Seiya? It's Raye," Raye said.

_"Oh, hi, Raye. How did you get my number?" _Serena heard Seiya ask.

"Um, Lita gave it to me," Raye answered. "I hope you don't mind."

_"Oh, not at all," _Seiya said kindly. _"I just left Lita's place, in fact. So, what can I help you with?"_

"Well," Raye smiled at Serena, "I suppose you remember mine and Lita's friend, Serena?"

_"Of course." _Serena beamed.

"Would you fancy taking her to dinner on Saturday night?" Raye blurted hastily.

_"I would love to," _Seiya replied enthusiastically. Serena's grin couldn't get wider. _"How does eight sound, at ... the White Rose?"_

Serena had to stifle her gasp as she nodded maddeningly. The White Rose was the most romantic restaurant that Serena had ever heard of...and Seiya Jackson wanted to take her there!

"Sounds great," Raye said happily. "Bye."

_"Bye, Raye."_

Raye hung up and stared in awe at Serena.

"The White Rose? Damn, you owe me big time!" Raye laughed.

Just then, Serena's phone started ringing. Serena reached for her bag and pressed the green 'Answer' button.

"Hello?"

--------------------------------------------

Darien anxiously waited as the phone kept on ringing. After what seemed a lifetime, Serena answered.

"Hello?" came her voice.

"Serena? It's Darien," he said solemnly.

"Hey, Darien, what's up?" Serena asked cheerfully.

"I need you to come over here," Darien said miserably.

"Is it really important? I'm having coffee with Raye," Serena said uncomfortably.

"Yeah, it's important. We need to talk."

* * *

Uh-oh! It's the legendary line with multiple meanings...but what will it mean this time? Find out in the next chapter!

QueenSerenity818 out.


	11. Chapter 11 No Promises

I know I only updated yesterday, but I've had writer's block for the past couple of weeks, and just in case it comes back, I thought I'd get this over and done with.

* * *

After All This Time

Chapter 11 - No Promises

Serena didn't say anything else. She simply lowered the phone from her ear slowly and hung up. Darien couldn't possibly know. Surely not. How could he have found out within ten seconds of Raye getting off the phone to Seiya? It was impossible. That's what Serena believed...until she saw an uncomfortable looking Andrew sneak back behind the counter from the back door. Furiously, Serena stood up and marched over.

"Andrew?" Serena demanded angrily, making Andrew jump and look up. He smiled nervously at Serena.

"Hey, Serena, what can I get you?" he asked sheepishly.

"An explanation would be nice," Serena said, her anger not relenting.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Andrew said unconvincingly.

Serena stared at him, her eyes burning into his, until he couldn't take it anymore and cracked under the pressure.

"OK, look, I'm sorry," Andrew said pathetically. "But you know that you're loud and I could hear every word you were saying!"

"It's not the fact that you overheard, Andrew," Serena said bitterly. "It's the fact that you betrayed my trust and went behind my back!"

"Darien had a right to know," Andrew said coldly.

"Why?" Serena challenged.

"Because he loves you."

"Well, excuse me, but since when did he appoint _you _to make _me _fall in love with _him_?" Serena cried.

"He didn't, I just wanted to see him happy," Andrew said defensively.

"Well, now he's not, thanks to...oh, yeah, that's right...you," Serena snapped. "Meddling in other people's business only causes more problems. You should remember that."

And Serena stormed off.

"I think I will now," Andrew muttered to himself.

Serena only stopped on her way out to say bye to Raye, and then she was off again.

Andrew watched her as she slammed the door of the cafe on her way out.

"Women."

-----------------------------------------

Ten minutes after Serena had left the cafe, she arrived outside Darien's apartment. She was still fuming, but decided to breathe it off a bit before she lashed out at Darien. So, she took a few deep, no, incredibly deep breaths and then knocked on the door.

Within ten seconds Darien had opened the door and she was on her way in.

He didn't even look at her as he sat down, while she shut the door behind her. She came in and sat down on the chair on Darien's right side. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he started talking.

"Why do you want a date with another guy?" Darien asked her, still avoiding eye contact.

"Maybe because I like him," Serena answered stubbornly.

"But I thought we were -" Darien started, but he got cut off by an extremely pissed off Serena, who stood up and began yelling.

"No, Darien!" she screamed. She was shaking. Her eyes were watering and she knew that she was going to start crying.

Darien chose this moment to turn and look at Serena, as if he were looking at her for the very first time. She looked nice on the outside; her make-up was subtle but attractive and her hair was a fresh kind of curl. But he knew that inside this woman was a mess. She had been torn in two and carelessly thrown back together. He couldn't put it into words how much it pained him to know that he was the one who had done that to her. It was heart-wrenching, and he could barely speak with such a complicated emotion thundering through him.

"No, what?" he asked quietly. He almost didn't want the answer. He knew it would be unbearable.

"No, you can't reason your way into the right, and leave me feeling guilty! I haven't done anything wrong, and you know it!" Serena bellowed, tears now making clear tracks down her face.

"I just thought that there was some hope..." Darien muttered miserably.

"Hope of what?" Serena asked softly, calming down slightly but still crying inconsolably.

"That there was a chance we could work past all this," Darien told her, standing up, placing his hands on her shoulders as she looked deep into his blue eyes. "That we could give this a chance."

"There isn't a 'chance', there isn't a 'we', and there isn't a 'this'," Serena said bitterly.

"Why can't there be?" Darien asked.

"Because as long as it's right for you to see someone else while we're together, but it's wrong for me to want a date with another guy when we aren't even going out," Serena explained, "then this can't work."

"Not even going out?" Darien repeated, "I thought we were heading along those lines."

Serena shook her head, making her blonde hair shimmer in the light. "No, we weren't. I was foolish to even stick around last night. The champagne we were drinking must have gone to my head..."

"Or maybe you were following your heart," Darien said calmly. He caressed her cheek and rubbed her tears away. "Promise me something..."

Serena shook her head again. This time more persistently. Darien looked down at the floor. "The last promise I made to you ended up with my heart in a million tiny pieces. I swore to myself then that I would never make anymore promises to you again. Hear that, Darien?"

Darien looked back into her baby blue eyes.

"No promises," Serena whispered. "It's time for you to let me go."

"I don't want to forget last night, with the kissing in the rain and...the thought of a future together...I just don't want to forget..." Darien pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Darien, but...I do," Serena said quietly. She turned and walked out of Darien's apartment door, and looked at him one last time before she shut the door.

-----------------------------------------

Darien didn't venture outside his apartment for four days straight. He was heartbroken. He wondered whether this was how Serena felt after their initial break-up. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday all passed as quickly as they possibly could.

Then, it was Saturday.

* * *

The lines, "I don't want to forget," and "I'm sorry, but I do," are from Disney's Finding Nemo. I don't own them.

Well, next chapter's the date! What could possibly happen? I'll leave your imaginations to ponder until the next update...

QueenSerenity818 out.


	12. Chapter 12 The Date Part 1

This chapter is the date between Seiya and Serena, but this chapter also includes some background for Seiya. What will happen on the date?

* * *

After All This Time

Chapter 12 - The Date Part 1

Seiya Jackson woke up on Saturday morning feeling ecstatic. He was taking a beautiful blonde to dinner. His last serious relationship ended three months ago, but he knew that he had moved on. Not that he didn't think of her once in a while. Her name was Naomi Sampson, and she was beautiful. He thought they were going to get married, after being in a happy, healthy relationship for just over a year. It was a normal date, with the exception that Seiya was planning to propose, and had a gorgeous sapphire white gold ring lying in his pocket.

She had arrived as she normally would; her dark straightened hair lying loosely on her shoulder and wearing a stunning dress, which was complimented by the jewellery she chose that night. She was wearing a rose-red, tight-fitting dress which was cut off a couple of inches above her knee, and a pair of dazzling gold earrings dangling from her ears, and a simple gold chain around her neck.

He had greeted her the same as ever; with a peck on her cheek, telling her how beautiful she was that night. They had sat, ordered, and talked endlessly until their food came. During their dessert, Seiya put the spoon for his chocolate fudge sundae down, and reached into his pocket for the ring. He discreetly placed it on the table, and Naomi had noticed within minutes. Her eyes had lit up when she spotted the glistening blue gem in the ring, and she had been close to tears as she considered how to put her answer into words.

As soon as she spoke, Seiya had known the rest of the answer.

"I'm sorry, Seiya," Naomi had said sadly, "but I'm not ready for a commitment that big just yet."

Seiya had only nodded. The rest of their date passed in silence, and the only contact they made after that was when they next met up a few days later, according to Naomi's wish. It was then that she told Seiya that it was over between them, because she had ruined their chance at happiness by turning him down. Seiya had seen it coming, and he took it gracefully. After that day, they had lost contact, and Seiya doubted whether they would ever see each other again. Surprisingly, it didn't bother him all that much.

But now, Seiya was getting his love life back on track. At least, he hoped he was. The date later that night would tell.

-----------------------------------------

Serena woke up with the same feeling as Seiya, although she didn't know it. She could finally believe that her problems with Darien were over. She hadn't seen him around the streets or the cafe the past few days. She had apologized to Andrew, putting her anger down to PMS. It was a lie, but he didn't need to know that. He had looked pretty disgusted when she told him what exactly PMS was. She had freaked him out a bit - she had to laugh at that.

Now, nothing could rain on Serena's parade. As long as Darien steered clear of her, that was. She still couldn't believe her luck. That very night, Seiya Jackson, the handsome gentleman she had set her sights on, was taking her to the White Rose, the most romantic restaurant around, from what she had been told by various people. It was the place where people generally went for their first dates. In fact, as far as she could tell, everyone who had their first date at the White Rose, or any date really, had ended up married, and been happy since.

She climbed out of bed and cheerily went into the kitchen to make herself breakfast, where she found Mina stirring a latte absent-mindedly while reading another issue of _Heat _magazine. Mina glanced up at Serena's presence in the room. She smiled warmly and went back to reading. Serena and Mina had reconciled when Serena had arrived back from Darien's place a few days ago, telling Mina what had gone on between herself and Darien. Mina had comforted her for the rest of the night, and Serena had forgiven her.

"Good night?" asked Serena nicely, as she reached into a cupboard for a bowl.

Mina looked up. "Yeah, you?"

"The best," Serena smiled, her arm emerging from the cupboard. "I'm going on a date tonight, and I can't wait."

Mina smiled. "You got over Darien fast, this time, I guess?"

"I never fell for Darien again, to be honest. That night when we kissed in the rain and it was all romantic crap...I have a feeling I was a bit hammered," Serena laughed.

Mina giggled. "How can you tell?"

"That's all I can remember about that night...I can't remember the meal or what we talked about...or anything else," Serena explained. "I remember kissing in the rain, then going home straight afterwards."

"It was straight away wasn't it?" Mina asked anxiously.

"I didn't sleep with him, Mina," Serena smiled. "Stop worrying."

"I'm just looking out for you," Mina said kindly. "You're my baby sister. I'm supposed to protect you."

"You'll need protecting if you call me your baby sister once more!" Serena laughed.

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The hours of Saturday seemed to melt into thin air. It wasn't long before Serena had straightened her hair, and was putting her make-up on. She was sitting in her pink fluffy dressing gown in front of her vanity table in her room. Mina knocked on her door, and, after Serena yelled that she was decent, walked in, holding a beautiful silver chain in one hand, and a pair of silver diamond stud earrings in the other. Serena turned after applying her lip gloss ever so carefully, and stared in awe at the jewellery.

"Are those yours?" Serena asked quietly, as Mina approached.

"There were our mother's," Mina answered, smiling softly. "She gave them to me just before she died, and said that I should give you them when I think you need them."

"When I need them?" Serena repeated. "What do you mean?"

"When I think you're going to fall in love," Mina explained, giving the jewellery to her sister.

Serena felt tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at her sister. "You think I'm going to fall in love?" she asked softly.

"You're going to the White Rose for your first date, Serena, what do you think?" Mina chuckled. Serena smiled.

"How come you didn't give them to me when I got engaged to Darien?" Serena asked.

"A part of me didn't think you'd last," Mina said. "Unfortunately, I was right."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I knew you'd hate me if I did, and I didn't want that to happen."

-----------------------------------------

Serena stepped out of her bedroom an hour later, looking stunning. She had allowed her straight hair to lie flat across her back, her make-up was subtle yet clearly noticeable, and she was wearing the pink dress she had worn at Darien's place. But she knew she was going to remember this night. She wasn't going to get drunk and forget half of the date, she was going to stick with white wine tonight, and still she wasn't going to drink too much. She was going to enjoy her date and not think about Darien at all.

Mina had gone out, so Serena sat down on the couch in the living room and checked the clock. It was seven thirty. Raye had called Seiya the day before telling him where Serena lived, so that he could pick her up at quarter to eight, and get there promptly at eight. Figuring she still had quarter of an hour to wait, Serena flicked the TV on and watched _Friends _for a bit. Sure enough, just as the adverts came on, at quarter to eight, Serena heard a knock on her door. She quickly turned the TV off and picked up her bag. She opened the door to find Seiya standing in a tux holding a bouquet of white roses.

"Seiya? You didn't have to do this," Serena smiled as Seiya handed her the flowers. Seiya shrugged.

"I know, but I wanted to," Seiya said sweetly.

"Aww, thanks," Serena said, putting the roses in a vase of water. Within minutes, they had left Serena's place and were in the elevator.

"So, what's with the White Rose? It's a bit too special for the likes of me," Serena said.

"Not at all, Serena," Seiya said, charming the life out of her. "You're an angel, and I'm just hoping that after tonight, you'll be my angel."

"Keep paying me compliments, and I might just be," Serena said seductively. Seiya smiled cheekily.

The elevator doors opened, and Seiya and Serena left the apartment building together. Serena gasped and stopped walking when she saw the limo in front of them. Seiya walked ahead of her and opened the back door. Serena smiled and climbed in. Seiya shut the door behind her and got in through the other side.

"Off we go," Seiya said once he had shut the door.

"This really is too much," Serena said humbly.

"No, it's not. I wanted our first date to be special," Seiya told her, caressing her hand, "so that's exactly what it's going to be."

Serena smiled. For the rest of the journey, the talked about all kinds of stuff, including past relationships.

"I'm so sorry to hear about you and Naomi," Serena said sympathetically, after Seiya had recounted the tale of the night he proposed. "She was clearly very important to you."

"She was...but I'm over it now. I'm going to see where this goes," Seiya replied. "Between us. How about you?"

"My last really serious relationship ended about three years ago, but he's tried to get back into my life over the past week," Serena told him miserably.

"How far did you go?" Seiya asked curiously.

"We were engaged, but I found out he'd been cheating on me," Serena said bitterly.

"I promise I wouldn't do that," Seiya told her, now holding her hand.

"I know," Serena said quietly, staring right into his chocolate eyes.

They were inches away from kissing when they realised that they had stopped. They were at the restaurant.

"We should go," Serena said stupidly, mentally kicking herself.

* * *

Well that was the first part of the date, and it seems to be going...OK, I guess. What will happen in the restaraunt though?

QueenSerenity818 out.


	13. Chapter 13 The Date Part 2

I know, I haven't updated in about four months, and I'm sorry! I've been focusing on my PotC fics, and also video-making instead. Apologies. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

After All This Time

_Chapter 13 - The Date Part 2_

Serena let herself be pulled out of the car by Seiya, who'd gone around to the other side to open the door for her.

"Thanks," she mumbled, flushing a deep red. Seiya smiled on, taking her hand after shutting the door of the car behind her. He led her upto the big, white double doors at the front of the restaurant, and opened one for her, letting her step over the threshold first.

Serena's eager eyes took in the interior of the place. It really was very grand. There was a black marble pathway that she was currently standing on that led to a small desk behind which sat a hostess, scribbling something on a piece of paper as she put the phone down.

Looking around, Serena saw that along each side of the pathway, there were white marble walls, the top of which was lined in a small hedge. Tables were dotted everywhere on the other side, and on each one sat a vase with a single white rose in each. Serena made a mental note that there was never more than two at a table, and that it seemed to be very rare for a single person to be at a table. Even then, they were probably waiting for their date to arrive.

Seiya appeared from nowhere at Serena's side, and offered her his arm. She smiled as she hooked her arm on his, and he walked them forwards towards the hostess.

"Hello, how may I help?" the woman asked politely as soon as they approached.

"I have a table for two booked," Seiya replied, "It's under the name Jackson."

The woman looked down at a thick leather book and scanned the text on it. Smiling pleasantly, she looked up at them again.

"Welcome to the White Rose," she said politely, signalling for a maître d' to come forward and take them to their table. "Michael will take you to your table. Enjoy your meal."

Both Seiya and Serena smiled warmly back at the woman and allowed Michael to lead them to a table for two. Seiya pulled out Serena's chair and she sat down then Seiya tucked her chair back in, moving around to seat himself.

"I shall send a waitress to collect your order in a few minutes," Michael said kindly before excusing himself.

Serena sighed happily as Seiya watched her look around the vast room and survey the beautiful plants that sprinkled the marble flooring.

She turned back to face him, her blue eyes bright, a beautiful smile gracing her lips. "This is really wonderful, Seiya."

"It's no problem," he said softly, allowing himself to lose his bearings as he gazed into her wide eyes.

"Thank you," she smiled. "You really don't know how much this means to me."

He noticed, even without averting his eyes from her face, that her hand was lying absently on the tablecloth, and he gently took it in his.

"Like I said," he whispered, his thumb stroking the top of her hand, "it's no problem."

Serena suddenly became painfully aware that their faces had slowly inched closer, and this thought, irritatingly, only presented itself when he hesitantly pressed his lips to hers. She found, much to her own surprise, that she involuntarily closed her eyes and was kissing him back.

Only when a sharp cough came from their right did they return to reality and pull apart, each slightly out of breath.

"Are you ready to order?" asked the waitress, Linda, who was rapidly turning a deep shade of crimson.

Seiya, without taking his eyes off Serena's lips, replied, "Um, yes. I'll have the filet mignon, thank you."

Linda jotted down Seiya's order on a notepad before turning to Serena. "And you, miss?"

"I'll just have the grilled chicken, thanks," Serena replied after a moment of considering.

"And to drink?"

"Get us a bottle of your finest," Seiya said immediately; Serena raised her eyebrows as Linda wrote that down too and walked away.

"Of their finest?" Serena repeated incredulously. "You hardly know me."

Seiya reached up with one hand and cupped her cheek with it. "That doesn't matter to me."

And he leaned forward and captured her lips beneath his again. Serena did the same as she did last time; she closed her eyes and responded.

And it was only when their food arrived, ten minutes later, that Seiya and Serena finally stopped kissing.

--

After enjoying a plentiful meal of a main course and ice cream with chocolate syrup for dessert, Seiya paid their tab in the restaurant and led Serena back out through the double doors, holding her hand as they walked.

"Tonight was really wonderful, Seiya, thank you," Serena smiled serenely before he kissed her again. This time her hands came to rest on his upper arms, finding they were quite muscly.

They stood like that for a long while, until finally the sound of a car pulling up snapped them from their reverie. Seiya opened the car door for her, and she climbed in, smiling like a little girl as he moved around the back of the car and climbed in to his side.

At once, the car pulled away, and Seiya held Serena's hand in his again, squeezing it once to catch her attention. Her big blue eyes looked at him both inquiringly and innocently, before he leaned in again.

They kissed for the entire car ride until the driver pulled up outside Serena's apartment block. Serena regretfully pulled back from Seiya smiling mouth, and thanked him again, before climbing out of the car.

She watched with a light head as the car drove away, Seiya sitting alone on the back seat.

When the car had rounded the corner, Serena immediately felt giddy and heady, turning to go back into her apartment block, pressing the button for the elevator.

She didn't even remember the elevator ride; she just found herself entering her apartment to find her sister, Mina, waiting for her on the couch.

"Well?" she demanded, a wide smile lighting up her face as she waited eagerly for juicy details.

Serena swooned and reached out for a surface to steady herself. "I think I'm in love."

* * *

I really hope that wasn't an insult to the name 'chapter' to you all, because I'm not too fond of it. But oh well :)

Review please!

ThePirate'sBride (new name :P) out.


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